Ash Wednesday - The Cathedral Christ the Light, Oakland

As featured Artists in Residence, Pacific Boychoir choristers perform alongside the professional men's chorus of The Cathedral of Christ the Light to create "The Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys."

Free and open to the public-- no tickets required.

Ash Wednesday is one of the most popular and important holy days in the liturgical calendar. Ash Wednesday opens Lent, a season of fasting and prayer. It takes place 46 days before Easter Sunday and is chiefly observed by Catholics, although many other Christians observe it too.

Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head. The ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us. As the priest applies the ashes to a person's forehead, he speaks the words: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust, you shall return."

Priests administer ashes during Mass and all are invited to accept the ashes as a visible symbol of penance. Even non-Christians and the excommunicated are welcome to receive the ashes. The ashes are made from blessed palm branches, taken from the previous year's Palm Sunday Mass.